This Weekend in Sports — Thanksgiving Day Football & College Rivalries

The long Thanksgiving weekend is filled with great games for football lovers. Here's what to watch:

Thursday, November 28

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

Ford Field, Detroit; 12:30 p.m. (ET) on Fox
Once well ahead in the NFC North, Green Bay (5-5-1) faces division rival Detroit (6-5) in a Thanksgiving Day game that could be pivotal to each team's postseason chances. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still recovering from a broken collarbone and is unlikely to play against the Lions, so Matt Flynn will lead the Green Bay offense against Ndamukong Suh and the Detroit defense.

Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Tex.; 4:30 p.m. (ET) on CBS
Oakland (4-7) travels to Texas to play the Cowboys (6-5) on Thanksgiving. Undrafted rookie quarterback Matt McGloin guides the Raiders offense, while Tony Romo leads the attack for the Cowboys, the NFC East co-leaders.

N.Y. Rangers at Boston Bruins

T.D. Garden, Boston; 1 p.m. (ET) on NBC
Original Six rivals clash on Black Friday when the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins (16-6-2) host the New York Rangers (12-12-0). Milan Lucic leads the Bruins offense, while Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist can be difficult to beat in net.

Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder

Chesapeake Arena, Oklahoma City; 8 p.m. (ET) on NBA-TV
Two of the Western Conference's best teams will duel when Golden State (8-6) visits Oklahoma City (9-3) on Friday. Thunder forward Kevin Durant leads the NBA in scoring at 28.6 points per game, but Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and David Lee are all averaging more than 17 points per game for the Warriors.

Oregon State at (13) Oregon

Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.; 7 p.m. (ET) on Fox Sports 1
Unranked Oregon State (6-5) has lost four games in a row, but the Beavers will rally their spirits for a Friday night game against in-state rival No. 13 Oregon. Once listed among the nation's best teams, the Ducks (9-2) are reeling after last week's loss to Arizona.

Saturday, November 30

(3) Ohio State at Michigan

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor; 12 p.m. (ET) on ABC
One of college football's most storied rivalries will be renewed when third-ranked Ohio State (11-0) travels to Ann Arbor to play unranked Michigan (7-4). Heisman Trophy candidate Braxton Miller leads the Buckeyes' attack, while quarterback Devin Gardner guides the Wolverines' offense.

(1) Alabama at (4) Auburn

Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala.; 3:30 p.m. (ET) on CBS
Known as "The Iron Bowl," the annual showdown between No. 1 Alabama (11-0) and No. 4 Auburn (10-1) has national title implications in 2013. Quarterback A.J. McCarron heads up the Crimson Tide offense, and quarterback Nick Marshall leads the Tigers' attack. The winning team will be the favorite to appear in the BCS title game on Jan. 6 in Pasadena.

(6) Clemson at (10) South Carolina

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC; 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2
The rivalry between sixth-ranked Clemson (10-1) and No. 10 South Carolina (9-2) pits two of the nation's top teams against one another. Quarterback Tajh Boyd spearheads the Tigers' offense, while the Gamecocks hope to see the return of running back Mike Davis to their offense after the SEC's leading rusher sat out a rout over Coastal Carolina. South Carolina has won four in a row against Clemson.

(25) Notre Dame at (8) Stanford

Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, Calif.; 7 p.m. (ET) on Fox
Eighth-ranked Stanford (9-2) hosts No. 25 Notre Dame (8-3). After dropping out of the rankings several times this season, the Fighting Irish hope to move up by beating the Cardinal on the road. Quarterback Tommy Rees guides the Notre Dame offense, while Kevin Hogan steers the Stanford attack.

(21) Texas A&M at (5) Missouri

Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri; 7:45 p.m. (ET) on ESPN
Quarterback Johnny Manziel hopes to make up for last week's dismal performance against LSU by leading No. 21 Texas A&M (8-3) to a win over fifth-ranked Missouri. James Franklin will get the nod at QB for the Tigers, who still have faint national title hopes.

(22) UCLA at (23) USC

Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles; 8 p.m. (ET) on ABC
The Battle of Los Angeles is rejoined as 22nd-ranked UCLA (8-3) tries to brush off last week's defeat against Arizona State and beat 23rd-ranked USC (9-3) in a Pac-12 showdown. Quarterback Brett Hundley is in charge of the Bruins' offense. Cody Kessler will start at quarterback for the Trojans.

Sunday, December 1

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City; 4:25 p.m. (ET) on CBS
The teams tied atop the AFC West standings meet for the second time in three weeks in Kansas City. Denver (9-2) could be reeling after blowing a 24-0 lead against New England last Sunday night, but the Chiefs (9-2) are also backsliding, losing two in a row since their nine-game win streak to start the season.

N.Y. Giants at Washington Redskins

FedEx Field, Landover, Md.; 8:30 p.m. (ET) on NBC
The NFL schedule-maker probably didn't anticipate this NFC East match-up to be between teams with terrible records. Eli Manning tries to get the Giants (4-7) back into the playoff chase, while Robert Griffin III attempts to salvage whatever is left of the season for the Redskins (3-8).